Users of cosmetic brushes are advised to clean their brushes frequently, both to enhance subsequent applications of makeup and extend the useful lives of the brushes. Frequent and proper cleaning avoids the accumulation of old makeup, skin oils and bacteria. These accumulations can undesirably affect the color of later applied makeup due to oxidation or binding with skin oils, and they may lead to skin problems or eye infections.
Cosmetic brushes frequently are cleaned by hand, applying a mixture of water and mild soap or shampoo to the bristles as the bristles are worked against the palm of the hand to expose as much bristle surface area as possible to the liquid mixture. This is followed by rinsing, typically working the bristles with the fingers while holding the bristles under running water. Typically, several repetitions of the washing and rinsing steps are necessary before clear water at the rinsing stage indicates sufficient cleaning.
Efforts to improve upon the results afforded by hand washing have led to products with textured surfaces intended to enhance wiping action along the bristles as a cosmetic brush is washed. Although these products may enhance brush cleaning through improved wiping action against the bristles, they must be held or gripped by hand, or maintained by hand against a flat surface, while the user manipulates the brush relative to the textured surface of the grid. These products feature a single grid with a single texture. There is no tailoring of the texture to suit larger brushes as opposed to smaller brushes, or to individually address the disparate needs of the washing stage and the rinsing stages. These products, whether considered alone or in combination with hand washing and rinsing, fail to address the need to remove excess moisture following cleaning.